MAX Insanity 20g Tall

kes · Aug 10, 2013

nice tank for such a small size

Eienna · Aug 11, 2013

I appreciate the compliment!

It ain't done yet, either!

Eienna · Aug 11, 2013

Well...at this point I'm 99% sure the Aussie acan is toast T.T There's simply nothing left. In keeping with my usual stubbornness, though, I'm leaving it in the tank just in case.

Dipped my goniopora frag in a 50/50 mixture of 3% hydrogen peroxide and tank water for 5 minutes to hopefully remove the bubble algae that keeps popping up on it despite attempts to scrape it off. In my experience so far this particular frag won't open with even a token amount of bubble algae on it, so here's hoping it works - and I haven't just killed my favorite coral. We shall see. :/ I won't know until tomorrow when the lights are back on; this one tucks itself in at night and I'm still working on extending the photoperiod.

I went ahead and dipped my surviving acan as well (though for about half the time because it started releasing mucus), since it was acting odd. Two biggish amphipods showed up in the bucket. Maybe they were stuck inside? I hope they weren't chewing on it, considering I fished them out and dropped them both back into the tank. It appears to be slooowly reinflating.

Eienna · Aug 11, 2013

I guess I should mention that 'amphipods' is a guess at best.

All I know is that they're some kind of pod. Bigger than any tank copepod I know of, but my knowledge is limited at best.

Eienna · Aug 12, 2013

Good news on the acan. It has itself a healthy appetite and downed a good meal of bloodworms tonight.

An upsetting turn of events on the basslet, though. It went into hiding a couple of days ago. He was still eating, though not with the usual vigor, when I directed food his way...so I was thinking maybe something happened to scare him. Not so, it seems. This evening I found him sitting on the bottom of the tank, pale and still. He wasn't just sleeping. When I disturbed him he moved a short way and sat on the floor again. He seems to have no energy. For the life of me I can't see anything wrong with him outwardly. It may or may not have been the right choice, but suspecting an emergency water issue, I moved him to a breeder net in the DT. Hopefully the little fellow recovers...the parameters in the QT check out, but I'm beginning to suspect that...well, frankly, we've had a bit of a roach problem (apartments...) and sometimes they fall into that tank. They've had poison laid out lately so maybe he ate one that had been poisoned, or a couple had the stuff on them when they fell in. My other thought is collection with cyanide, but I bought him so small that I believe he was probably captive-bred.

It's not having named him, for anyone who's wondering. I hadn't yet. I know his name now, though. I realized when I'd gotten him into the breeder net that when I talk to him I have been calling him 'little one.' I heard that in Swahili there's a word that means little one. It's Toto.

Here's hoping Toto pulls through.

Eienna · Aug 12, 2013

Thanks to anyone who's stuck with this thread so far...
One more thought for tonight. I'm finding myself grateful that I didn't sell my FW setup when I got into this. I know my FW. The setup is stable and disease-free. When the reef is upsetting me for whatever reason, such as the basslet, I can relax and reassure myself by watching my FW fish enjoy their 125g home.

Eienna · Aug 12, 2013

Well, the little guy's definitely more aware of his surroundings today...won't eat but doesn't seem so absolutely and completely out of it.

Eienna · Aug 13, 2013

Caught Toto pecking at stuff he thought might be tasty when he thought I wasn't looking....he's also occasionally making short spurts of activity. Freaks out if I move the lid, so definitely more aware. If he keeps improving like this I'll release him into the tank tomorrow. Pretty sure there was something wrong with the QT, one possibility being that the temperature was low, though I don't know just how low since I broke my thermometer the other night. I suspect the old heater I was using is no good any more.

Eienna · Aug 13, 2013

Toto's fine now.

He was acting much more like his old self this morning, so I went to release him from the breeder net...but when I moved the tank lid he freaked out so violently that he let his own self out XD I spent a few minutes making dead sure he wasn't on the floor (worried baby fish mommy here) and then caught a glimpse of him in the tank. Saw him snapping at food I put in, too. If he doesn't do well from this point I'm going to be shocked.

I'm sure the Aussie acan's not coming back...the fiery depths acan is fine, though. YAY!!

Having trouble getting the goni to open fully, though it seems to have recovered from its dip, so I moved it. Just too tricky keeping it in the exact right flow where it was. Hope it likes its new location.

The monti's getting attacked by algae now, so I dipped it this morning. Trying to find a spit with a little more flow for it without getting it too close to the light too quickly.

Ah, the intricacies of a mixed reef!

Anyone have a tip for temporarily securing corals in place, for if you're trying a new location for it but it won't stay put? I have a troublesome deficit of frag-plug-sized holes in my rockwork.

Eienna · Aug 14, 2013

My purple monti's bleaching/dying T.T I peroxide dipped it last night to try and get rid of some algae around the base. It didn't like that at all. Looks like at least some of the polyps are dead now. Should have left well enough alone, or just stuck a snail to it. That makes two losses in two weeks. It's depressing.

Eienna · Aug 15, 2013

Oh boy....thank the Lord I tested tonight!! 40 nitrate?!!!! In the words of Captain Jack Sparrow..."...not good." No wonder my monti's dying!!

I have a few theories why. The dead acan, a filter I didn't clean completely...yeah. I've been hurting something awful this last couple of weeks so it's been hard to keep track of things.

Changed some water and am currently making more...glad for my new RODI unit right now!!!!

That and hefty painkillers.

I'm supposed to be going on vacation with my Dad for a week, leaving Friday. I wouldn't have had anything left alive when I came back.

I officially hate small tanks and being a reefing newbie.

Notes to self: Clean filter completely, every time. Remove necrotic frags if working with small system. Test at least twice weekly. Get more macroalgae ASAP and figure out a way to store saltwater ready for use.

Eienna · Aug 15, 2013

Happy to report that Toto is definitely eating now and has gotten a little bolder. The intro between him and the clowns made me nervous, but they act as if he wasn't there, and Spike has always minded his own business, so I'd call the addition a success. Never did find out exactly what was wrong with the QT. Mom thinks maybe he was depressed from being alone. *shrug* I dunno if fish get depressed, but he has definitely recovered from whatever was bothering him.

I got the nitrate down to 10. I'm still going to do one more water change before I leave for the week. Gotta tell ya, I hate leaving my reef. The FW is stable and healthy so I don't have to worry, but this one...let's just say that after purchasing a new 125g my next big buy will be an Apex controller.

I've also made the decision to move everyone in the 20g to the 50g I have sitting on the back porch. That's going to be a bit of a process and set back the 125 plan some, but I can't keep up with a tank this size. It's just too touchy. Things change too easily and too fast. Hopefully I'll have fewer coral-killing oopses thus way.

Sadly, I think my purple haze monti is toast. :'(

Eienna · Aug 23, 2013

I hate being away from my tanks. I had a great vacation but I'm happy to be headed back to them now.

I hope everything's alive and well when I get back (excluding the aiptasia I've been fighting - but I'm hoping I got that licked before I left!)

Eienna · Aug 24, 2013

Well, I'm home and nothing's exploded - except the size of my basslet!! I think Toto has at least doubled his weight in the week I've been gone. O.O

Shock aside, good for him!! He looks terrific <3
And Mom says she saw Spike (green mandarin) eating pellets. W00t!!

Eienna · Aug 24, 2013

TOTO'S DEAD!!!!!! Nooooooooo!!!!!!!

Eienna · Aug 24, 2013

My....my poor baby TT.TT
He must have had an accident during the night...I didn't see it but I suspect he got stuck on top of my sterilizer or something....he was perfect when I got home yesterday evening but I found him dead this morning. RIP, Little One. I love you.